The ruling , which cites the state constitution, makes it difficult for clerks and the secretary of state to follow a new elections law that requires ballots to be printed and mailed to voters.

Colorado's Supreme Court split 3-3 in its decision on whether to hear the appeal. One justice did not vote.

Clerks in El Paso and Pueblo counties had followed state statute and allowed a 10-day window from when the governor set the election date to allow candidates to submit 1,000 valid signatures so they could appear on the ballot. Republicans Bernie Herpin and George Rivera submitted enough signatures, and their names are the only ones that now appear on ballots in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, respectively, other than the incumbents'.

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Since Monday's District Court ruling, a Libertarian candidate in El Paso County and a Democrat in Pueblo filed the necessary paperwork to petition onto the recall ballots.

Some have expressed concerns about the possible disenfranchisement of voters in the wake of McGahey's ruling.

"The Supreme Court has settled this issue. We've already begun rolling our sleeves up to make these elections a success," Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler said in a statement.

Because of a reporter's error, this story incorrectly stated when a law was passed that sets a 10-day period from the time an election date is set for a candidate to petition onto the ballot. The law was passed in 2012.

Missy Franklin, Jenny Simpson, Adeline Gray and three other Colorado women could be big players at the 2016 Rio OlympicsWhen people ask Missy Franklin for her thoughts about the Summer Olympics that will begin a year from Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, she hangs a warning label on her answer.